TLC awarded $664,000 from Ag Trust Fund for Chestnut Hill Farm

Chestnut Hill Farm, a 170-acre livestock and poultry operation in the Silk Hope area of Chatham County, will be conserved thanks to TLC and a grant of $664,000 from the NC Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.

Dairy, row crops, poultry and cattle have all been, at one time or another, the primary agricultural practices at Chestnut Hill Farm, which  has been operated by the Andrew family for well over 100 years.

Lin Andrew took over management of the farm after he graduated college in 1991, and today, he operates a hatching egg farm with 40,000 hens, a 100-head cow-calf operation, and a herd of about 75 meat goats. The farm also includes about 50 acres of loblolly pines planted in the winter of 1997.

“What really excited me when I began to explore easement possibilities, was the fact that when I was asked a question pertaining to what I wanted to be doing well into the future, and where I wanted to be, the answer was pretty much that I want to be doing what I am doing now, and be where I am now,” said Andrew.

“The next question was how can I achieve this with the development pressures constantly increasing. I feel this conservation easement will provide equity up front that will allow me to continue in agriculture in the event neighboring lands are developed. An easement will allow my farm to remain a farm into the future.”

The grant to conserve Chestnut Hill Farm is one of three awarded in June to TLC projects by the reinvigorated “Ag Trust Fund.”  The other grants will fund farmland preservation plans for Chatham and Johnston counties.

Formerly known as the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, this program had languished without funding for several years. But in 2007, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler succeeded in getting the General Assembly to allocate $8 million to the renamed Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. The legislature recently agreed to allocate $4 million for the fund next year.

North Carolina lost 300,000 acres of farmland between 2003 and 2006. So whatever the name, this is a crucial program for keeping NC agriculture sustainable by supporting preservation of agricultural and forest lands while fostering the development, growth and sustainability of family farms.

New!  Audio Interview Feature

TLC's Jennifer Peterson interviewed Lin for a new audio feature on the TLC website.  Below you can listen to the highlights from the interview.  Stay tuned for future editions of TLC's Audio Interviews. 

Q:  "Tell me about your background."
A:   Click here to listen to Lin's response.

Q:  "Tell me about the background of this property."
A:  Click here to listen to Lin's response.

Q:  "How are you making farming viable?" 
A:   Click here to listen to Lin's response.

Q:  "What is your view of land trusts, and how has that evolved?"
A:  Click here for the response. 

Q:  "What do you see as the future of farming in North Carolina?"
A:  Click here for the response. 

Cattle Grazing at Chestnut Hill Farm